2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe

The incorrigible 4C is late, loudmouthed, and lovable.

So the performance numbers pretty well back up the 4C’s miniature-exotic looks. And so does the 4C’s comportment on the road. Like a proper old-school exotic, the 4C is something of a chore to get into and out of because of its high and wide side sills. And you won’t find much room inside once ensconced. But the car’s 93.7-inch wheelbase means no one will be surprised, or likely disappointed, at the tight cabin. Still, the snug environs made this writer feel even more than usual like the big, doughy descendent of Northern Europeans. It’s the automotive equivalent of one of those tiny suits fashionable Italians wear. If you’re tall, the top of the D-shaped steering wheel will likely block your view of the digital gear readout, speedometer, and tachometer. And predictably, rearward visibility is atrocious.

None of that detracts from what the 4C is; rather, it amplifies it. No truer words have ever been uttered by a carmaker rep than when Alfa’s U.S. product planner, Michael Berube said, “It is what it is.” And that is a fantastical distillation of what Alfa should stand for: uncompromised stylishness and performance. And if you have to make some sacrifices to get it, then so be it. The stylishness of the 4C is self-evident. It garners adoring attention everywhere it goes.

And it is a quick and nimble thing, as promised. On boost, the little four-cylinder, which makes 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, positively blasts the car out of corners, reminding us that the ideal is not power per se, but an advantageous power-to-weight ratio. The manual steering is spectacular, reminding us of what’s been lost in the transition to not just electric-boosted steering, but boosted steering of any sort. It’s a busy helm, getting yanked back and forth by troughs and undulations in the road, but it’s pinpoint accurate and rich with feeling in a way many young enthusiasts won’t have a precedent to understand. They are poorer for the lack of reference. The brake pedal—oh, the brake pedal! A bottom-hinged pedal with the tiniest possible amount of travel, it’s firm underfoot and perfectly linear in operation. The chassis is outstanding, as well. It’s neutral on the skidpad and on the road, and it allows you to ease the tail out and tuck it back in with uncommon confidence. It flatters its driver.

It Sounds Four-ocious

As you have no doubt realized, a 4C without a muffler is a loud thing. It sounds ferocious from the outside, or as ferocious as a four-cylinder can sound. It’s just as loud inside the cabin and that’s okay, too. You will regret any long trips in the car, though. At 75 mph, the engine turns only 2500 rpm, but the four never quiets down. In fact, there are all sorts of noises emanating from just behind your ears. There’s the varying pitch of the engine snarl, of course. But the turbo and waste gate add their own accompaniment of huffs, chuffs, and whistles. Full-throttle gearchanges elicit a loud clearing of the engine’s throat. It’s all very stimulating, but it doesn’t make the beguiling sounds you imagine of a truly exotic car.

The combination of the dual-clutch gearbox and the turbo engine also present some distinct disconnects between car and driver. If the steering and brakes are models of linearity, then the powertrain is quite the opposite. The engine makes good torque, but the boost comes on hard in a surprising surge after you’ve exited a corner. If you leave the transmission in automatic mode, you have shift delays adding to the nonlinearity of the proceedings. It all feels very busy, cacophonous, and unpredictable. This is in stark contrast to the predictability and deliciously hard-core attributes that otherwise make the 4C such a fine sports-car toy. The experience made us misty for the conventional manual transmission and naturally aspirated engine of the departed Lotus Exige, the only car with a no-compromises approach similar to the 4C’s.

Rudeness does not typically bother us. In fact, we wish that more cars were as unapologetically rude as the 4C. And we don’t mind that on lumpy pavement, the 4C becomes a tiny boat in rough waters, being pushed around and following the topography. It’s a reminder that when the road flattens and turns (or when we arrive at the entrance to a road course), the 4C is equipped to deliver an unfiltered experience. It is, after all, what it is.

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